| |
The more than 13 million acres of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
& Preserve encompass three mountain ranges (featuring nine of the 16
highest peaks in the United States,) the continent's largest assemblage
of glaciers and varied landscapes such as sand dunes, mud volcanoes, spruce
forests, taiga and wetlands.
The park and preserve contain a large concentration of Dall Sheep, as well
as mountain goat, caribou, moose, brown and black bear, bison, lynx, wolves,
fox and many other mammals. River basins, bays and wetland provide year-round
or seasonal habitat for many species of birds, including swans, eagles and
woodpeckers. Various fish abound in park waters.
Native peoples have inhabited this region for more than 8,000 years.
Even today, Ahtna, Upper Tanana, and Tlingit make use of park resources
as part of their traditional subsistence life style. European contact
began with the Russians, who explored the Copper Basin in the 1780s for
trade purposes. In the late 1800s, American scientific expeditions publicized
mineral deposits of gold, silver and (most importantly) copper. By 1911,
the Kennecott mines were in full production: A railroad built from Cordova
transported more than a billion pounds of ore valued at $100 to $300 million
over 27 years. The historic mining town of Kennecott is the park's most
recognizable landmark.
After the mines closed, efforts to bring tourism to the area developed.
In 1978, Present Jimmy Carter declared the area a National Monument because
of its scientific and cultural significance. In that same year, Wrangell-St.
Elias and contiguous conservation units in Alaska and Canada were declared
an International World Heritage Site. The national park and preserve were
established in 1980.
Several visitor centers offer combinations of: exhibits, films, trip
planning, guided nature walks and history talks. Other popular activities
are backpacking, camping, horseback riding and wildlife viewing.
|
|